Some members of the animal kingdom seem to have their priorities right and are able to teach “us humans” a thing or two.  As I admire God’s creation, I am always amazed at the beauty that surrounds us.  There are lions, of course, that get the bulk of the complimentary labels.  Then come the tigers, eagles, elephants, and so on.  One day, as I was reading the courageous story of a pastor from Roswell, Ga and his step of faith toward his passion, I came across a random fact that I just had to research….

I had to chase some Buffalo…..

At the time, I had been living in the area known as the ArkLaTex (the junction of the states of Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas) and I received word of an establishment called the DO GOOD Store located at the Bossier City Boardwalk.

After I investigated the hours of operation (they are only open one weekend a month), I decided to make the trek to Shreveport from Texarkana.  The store was full of items that are supported by ministries or projects dedicated to doing…you guessed it…”Good.”

There were:

-backpacks for sale that, if you purchased one, the manufacturer would provide a backpack to a child in need.  

-tshirts raising funds and assistance for Louisiana flood victims.

-water bottles that purified water and upon purchasing one such bottle, you would help finance water filtration systems in impoverished areas of the world.

and one of my favorites…..

-coffee from the Thousand Hills Coffee Company founded by Jonathan David Golden.  Read their story at this link:  The Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Company.

All of these business ideas were started with the goal of “Doing Good” and helping the world become a better place.  EACH AND EVERY ONE!  Political allegiances not required!  Red States, Blue States, Purple States, Crazy States……. ALL of these individuals had a plan to help the world and the business plans were so compelling that investors jumped at the opportunity to help them succeed.

In a word, these people had come together and decided to become ….

BUFFALO!

See, most people, animals, and well….living things have a genetic disposition of running from things.  Whether its a call from a debt collector, Sallie Mae, a doctor’s appointment, a storm, or a psychopath supervisor, we all have an instinct to “I&E”….(Ignore and Evacuate)!

On the other hand, there are some people seem who to face these things head on and keep trucking.  It’s as if it is in their blood and engrained in their genetic material.  These people are like buffalo….

The Buffalo is rather unique in the way it handles foul weather.  While most animals are finding shelter and hunkering down….the buffalo does something very different.  They form a hierarchy of health and ability.  In ways that we will never know, they arrange their groups so that the extremely young, old, and those of ill-health are gathered in the middle of the herd.  Then……..wait for it….

They face the storm head-on and trek through it…as a Herd!

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As I sat and pondered the tie-in of how buffalo and humans oppose in their strategies, I began to do some serious introspection.  I looked back and saw that many of the tough times in my life were directly due to me delaying and avoiding storms.

Whether it was finances, negative people, spiritual immaturity, or just plain youth,  I noticed a strong correlation between facing the challenge and my happiness!   Then, I began to take notes on….(get ready)……on WHO I CHOSE to have in my life (or herd) at those crucial, tough times.

Guess what I found?

I found that in the majority of those cases, I was not “protected by the herd!” In fact, I wasn’t protected by anyone….I wasn’t even protecting myself!  In other words, I had made a personal decision to surround myself with people who were looking out for…..THEMSELVES!  And that, my friends and colleagues, is no way to go through life.  In the wild, much like our day-to-day lives, selfishness gets you left behind and fighting for your life!

As much as we all want to place blame on others and dispatch ownership of our unhappiness on those around us, it’s important to remind ourselves that the storm is coming….REGARDLESS if we deserve it or not. We must come to the realization that each one of us has a purpose!  We have a responsibility to  make the world a better place…..to make the Herd stronger!

There are people in the world that have figured this fact out!  There are people like Jonathan Golden of Roswell, Ga.  There are people like Erwin McManus of Pasadena, Ca.  These people have discovered the importance of DOING GOOD…..Of helping those around them and watching the HERD organize to support itself.  People that took a step into a world of need and decided to help the masses.

We….erh….I am still learning how to prioritize my Herd.  I am still learning who needs to be in the middle and who can help me fight.

This week ask yourself the following questions….

-What is your passion?

-How can you use your passion to leave a positive impact on the world?

-Who are you surrounding yourself with?

-Are you surrounded with people you care about and who will protect you?

-What is that idea that you can’t get out of your head?

Whatever it is….spend this week chasing some Buffalo!

#CoachKD

The words usually come at just the right time!  

Usually, a tense situation has risen and time is of the essence. 

Pressure is mounting.

The muscles around your neck and shoulders begin to tighten.

A decision must be made…..An action must be taken……

At just that moment someone close to you speaks absolute poetry into your ears.  The words enter your ear canals and sink directly into your subconscious.  A feeling similar to courage begins to build somewhere deep in your chest…….

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Every one of us have experienced those moments in life. You may be about propose to the woman of your dreams.  You may have been given 24 hours to decide on a job offer. You may finally have the opportunity to buy that house for your family.  Better yet, you may be in the surf zone in Coronado, California.  Whatever the situation, you are on DEFCON 5 and your senses are fully engaged.  Fear is a real thing and you can feel your heartbeat through your chest.

A friend, your spouse, or teammate is standing beside you and utters 4 words that connect you back to reality:

“I’ve Got Your Back!”

4….little….words!  Four words that one uses to promise support mentally, spiritually, and if necessary, PHYSICALLY!  Four words that communicate loyalty!  Four words that speak a war-ready attitude and willingness to be your blind-side support.

The following story communicates one such situation.  When life was beckoning and the moment arose for these young men to act……….someone spoke up and affirmed loyalty…..”he had his friends back”….

………heart and soul!

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1 Samuel 14New International Version (NIV)

14 ¹ One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

² Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron.With him were about six hundred men, ³ among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left.

⁴ On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. ⁵ One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.

⁶ Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”

⁷ “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

⁸ Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. ⁹ If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.”

¹¹ So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.” ¹² The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.”

So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.”

¹³ Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. ¹⁴ In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

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“Im with you heart and soul!”

“Do all that you have in mind!”

……..I’ve Got Your Back!

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Today, as your meditate on success and current events in your life…..ask yourself these questions.   Focus on each word as your meditate.

-Have you ever had someone express their loyalty at just the right moment?

-In a moment of shear fear……have you received a call or text letting you know that you were not alone?

-Have you ever taken a step in faith when you knew someone “Had your Back!”?

-More importantly, have you ever felt compelled to give someone a statement of your loyalty?

Now, filter out distractions and define words such as loyalty, commitment, faith, and trust.  What memories do these words spring up from your subconscious?

 

The following video is a clip from the movie “Act of Valor”.   When I see this clip I am reminded that

Loyalty costs something.  

Loyalty forces you to sacrifice…to be uncomfortable!  

Loyalty mean commitment and keeping your word when it is the last thing you want to do……

Loyalty means honoring those you love and having the character to do the right thing!

Loyalty means not uses excuses!

So, in honor of my father and people who have served and are serving…..HOOOYAHH!

 

Gentlemen, if you have ever played ball for me……you have heard these words before as we take the field.  You have yelled them at the top of lungs in pre-dawn hours in New York, Virginia, and countless other cities.

My family has heard these words over the years…..and like I tell my cousin Chris Clark before his shift as a police officer,

“I’ve Got Your Back!!! And You Have My Back!  Do Your Job and Get Back Home Safe! I love you Cuz!”

Today,  let that person know that  “You have their back!”  and like the armor bearer said to Jonathan in a moment that changed the world…..

⁷ “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

 

“I’ve got your back!”

#CoachKD

So you finally had a chance to sit down and RELAX after the holiday season. You have been back to work for a day or two and have tried to get back into a “routine”.   Something, however, just doesn’t feel the way it once did.

Was it the 10 lbs. of your aunt’s potato salad you crushed since Thanksgiving?  Maybe….  

Was it the additional debt you accumulated buying gifts for your sister’s quadruplets?  Possibly…..  

Or could it possibly be that the time you were able to spend with your loved ones made you see life a little differently?    Probably…..

For countless unnamed reasons, American’s return from the holidays and according to Unhappy People in the workplace 43% of workers are UNHAPPY with their current job!  Yes, you read that correctly!  43 out of 100 people in YOUR office are unhappy to the point they will admit to it and ACT ON LOOKING FOR NEW EMPLOYMENT!

So, what in the world in going on here?!  What is the reason for this post holiday “paradigm shift”!?!?  I asked several friends, colleagues, and overheard side conversations to come up with the following list of quotes…..

-“My holidays were great!  We had a great time with the kids.  We took them to (blank) and had a blast.  I really wish I could spend more time with them.  There is just so much pressure at work right now and they are cutting jobs….!  If I could just find time to start my own business!”

-“I’ve been thinking lately, ‘Is the money even worth it?’.  I mean, I’m on the road for half the year!  I wake up and it’s December…and I’m still not free!  I need to find something to get into to start my own business!”

-“This Christmas I spent some time examining my values and comparing them to my career track!  Something has to give!  I want to work for me!”

-“I’m tired! I finally felt like I was able to relax right after New Year’s and then it was back to the Grind!  I need a vacation from my vacation!”

-“My boss called me at least once a day!  Twice on Christmas!  Twice!  Who the heck works on Christmas?!  I told her I was on monster.com browsing….  I need a plan!”

It seems that we are collectively looking at our lives and re-aligning what is most important to us.  Most of us…yes, US…. never really disconnect from our workday.  Regardless if a given career involves a board room, coaches office, sales route, or operating room…..we almost always bring our mental checklists home.

Cell phones still ring….

Texts never stop…….

And our Laptops….they never close……

Our personal lives have become the seasonal jobs that our parents and grandparents talked about.  We work ourselves to the brink….and then attempt to salvage what is left for our loved ones.  (And we wonder why from 1999-2012, American’s Use of Antidepressants DOUBLED)

Why so many people are on edge and discontented!!!???

 Remember our little statistic from salary.com? ???   GET THIS:  We are so on edge because 43 out of 100 people (and I suspect a lot more than that), are absolutely MISERABLE in their jobs…..the place they spent a minimum of 40 hours a week!  According to this The American work week article, most full-time Americans are logging over 47 hours a week….with nearly 4 of 10 report working 50+ hours a week.  

Anything you work on for 50+ hours a week…..will eventually force you to answer the following question:

DO WE EVEN KNOW WHO THE HECK “WE” ARE ANYMORE!?

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As a small exercise, answer the following questions as brutally and honestly as you can:

-When was the last time (specifically) that you had fun?

-When was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror and SMILED?

-What is your personal Ethos?  (the guiding beliefs of a person, group, or organization)

-Name the 5 things you value most in your personal life:

-Name the top 5 sacrifices that progressing in your career will require of you:

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In 2017, the absolute best gift we can give our loved ones is an impassioned, driven, happy US!  We owe it to ourselves to identify where we are and make decisions for a better us!

Dr. Kevin Elko said it best in his Monday Morning Cup of Inspiration titled, “Make It Happen”!

http://www.drelko.com/inspiration/

Here is what I have learned over the past decade.  Happiness is a word that can only be defined by the individual.  While one person may work in a cubicle for 40 years and be happy….I simply cannot do that!  Working off the Louisiana coast on an oil platform is the only way to live for many people…while even holding a philips head screwdriver gives some anxiety.  Point is:  we have to stop asking every person around us for their opinion and learn how to identify what makes us tick!

We can only hold those around us accountable for so much!  Eventually, we have to decide to look at ourselves in the mirror and find a way to smile.

Don’t ever be one of those 43 people in that statistic!

Strive to never say you were forced “WORKED” 50+ hours a week!

Find what you are passionate about and people will suddenly start feeding off your energy!

Find that thing that wakes you up and forget the snooze button!

Most importantly,  find YOURSELF!

Go Get 2017!

 

Coach KD